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Monday, 12 May 2008 09:01 |
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Biodiesel fuel is not compatible with every diesel engine. This
is why it is so important for you to check your Owner"s Engine
Manual to find out what types of fuels you can use.
The biggest drawback of biodiesel is that it is not compatible
with all engine components. However many manufacturers such as
Ford and Volkswagen have or are in the process of creating a
diesel car or diesel engine more compatible with low sulfur
diesel fuels.
The main problem arises when you try to put biodiesel fuel into
the diesel engine of older machines. Even blended biodiesel will
soften and degrade certain types of elastomers and natural
rubber compounds in you diesel engine over time. Undiluted
biodiesel can destroy certain types of gasket, hose, and seal
compounds like natural rubber, Buna-N, and nitrile, which can
create fuel system leaks. Unfortunately these materials are what
most fuel hoses and fuel pump seals are made of.
Most manufacturers recommend that natural or butyl rubbers not
be allowed to come in contact with pure biodiesel. One way
around this is to replace your hoses and fuel caps with a
material that is compatible with biodiesel. Another suggestion
is to use the diesel fuel blend that is recommended not to cause
stress and wear on your hoses and sealants.
In general it is thought that that blends of B20 (20% biodiesel
and 80% diesel fuel) or lower cause the least stress for diesel
engines. Once again, it cannot be stressed enough that you must
consult with the manufacturer of your vehicle or machine and
read your owner"s manual before playing around with biodiesel.
As a rule of thumb, never ever pour pure (B100) biodiesel into a
diesel engine of any kind! Always use a blend because
experimentation with biodiesel fuel could prove to be expensive.
The single greatest factor that can affect biodiesel"s
performance in our engine is a cold temperature. Cold weather
can cloud biodiesel and turn into gel. Users of a 20 percent
biodiesel blend with #2 diesel will usually notice problems when
the temperature reaches approximately 2 to 10° Fahrenheit. Below
that you could experience gelling in your fuel pumps and hoses.
Given the above information you can also see why you would never
use 100% pure biodiesel in a diesel engine in cold temperatures.
It stands to reason that neat biodiesel will gel even faster
than blended biodiesel. Solutions for winter operability with
neat biodiesel include blending biodiesel with No. 1 petroleum
diesel fuel. Storing the vehicle in a heated garage so that the
biodiesel blend in the diesel engine does not have a chance to
gel is also recommended.
Both blended and neat fuels in a diesel engine will respond to
the use of cold flow improvement additives such as regular
anti-freeze and kerosene. However make sure that your
manufacturer approves any additives you add to your biodiesel.
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